The invention pertains to a lateral coupling device for holding and guiding at least one aerodynamic body relative to the main wing of an aircraft, to an airfoil and to an aircraft with such a lateral coupling device.
EP 1 637 453 discloses a device for measuring deviations with regard to the synchronization of high lift flaps.
In known high-lift systems of modern commercial aircraft and transport aircraft, particularly those with a high takeoff weight, air flaps in the form of high-lift flaps are provided, e.g., on the trailing wing edge and movably connected to the airfoil by means of several driving stations. In order to actuate a flap, a torsion shaft is set in rotation by a flap drive that is arranged, e.g., centrally in the aircraft and this rotation is transmitted to control mechanisms for adjusting the air flap via coupling elements. Air flap suspensions introduce the landing flap loads into the aircraft structure by means of fixed bearing suspensions, movable bearing suspensions and landing flap drives. On fixed bearing suspensions, the lateral loads (X-loads) are usually introduced by means of deflection in this case.
Since the lateral loads on fixed bearing suspensions are introduced by means of deflection, wider fixed bearing suspensions are required, particularly when the rotational axes of the landing flaps are spaced apart from the lower wing surface by larger distances, wherein these wider fixed bearing suspensions result in higher weights and aerodynamically unfavorable solutions (wider fairings). In aircraft with an inner and an outer landing flap and differently inclined rotational axes of the landing flaps with fixed bearing suspensions, overlaps furthermore occur in the region of the point of separation when the two landing flaps are displaced such that the seal between the two landing flaps becomes more complex. The negative effects are further amplified by a higher cruising speed of the aircraft and a more significantly backswept wing.